Pride
by wildcard47
Summary: Set during Order of the Phoenix; a Missing Moment of sorts. When Molly and Arthur get the news about the twins' flight from Hogwarts, how will they react? Will there be hugs all around, or hell to pay? Reviews are welcomed!
1. Hesitation

**A/N: Well, I found this story sitting around on my computer, remembered writing it about six months ago, and figured I'd give ya'll a peek at it. Hope you enjoy. Constructive criticism welcomed!**

Arthur Weasley sighed wearily as he walked down the hallway to his office, rubbing a hand across his unshaven face. He'd been assigned to guard duty for the Order last night, and hadn't gotten much sleep; plus, Fudge was working everyone overtime before the arrival of spring holidays. Arthur had barely enough time to nip off to the Ministry canteen for a late lunch, but sadly, the food just didn't compare to Molly's cooking. He hated being unable to Floo home during the day. Arthur expected, though, that if he worked clear until eight or nine, this mess could eventually get sorted out. Resigned to doing paperwork as he opened the door to his office, Arthur gave a start as he glimpsed two people inside.

"Great Merlin! What are you two doing here?" Fred and George were perched beside his desk, using their school trunks as chairs. Their expressions were fixated on him, oddly serious. Arthur hadn't, in fact, seen them look so guilty about anything, not since the time they gave Ron that Acid Pop, years ago. _Please, don't have done anything too horrible. I don't know how many more disciplinary letters your mum can take before she sends you another Howler._

"Dad," Fred spoke first. "We have something important to tell you." He motioned to George, who was apparently supposed to chime in, but didn't.

_Merlin, was one of them mortally injured? _His anxiety growing, Arthur gave each twin a quick once-over, but neither of them looked to be hurt in any way. Each boy was, strangely, clutching a broomstick, which appeared to have been…chained to something at one point. _This could be worse than injury. _He wasn't sure what could be worse, but at least injury had a clear and quick diagnosis. Dealing with nervousness and hesitation just made him uncomfortable. Especially when it was coming from the twins.

Meanwhile, George and Fred were locked in a glaring war. Fred mouthed something rude at his brother that Arthur couldn't quite decipher. Whatever Fred had done seemed to work; George conceded and cleared his throat.

"The thing is, Dad," George sighed, "We dropped out of Hogwarts."

Arthur clapped his hands to his forehead, expression horrified. "You did WHAT?" He let fly a volley of colourful words, ones that he hadn't let himself speak aloud in years. "What in the name of Merlin possessed you to do that?"

"Umbridge, of course," Fred answered promptly, his hesitation gone now that the news was out. "Listen, Dad--"

"--Don't you two remember what happened to Charlie?" Arthur interrupted, pacing in front of the doorway. "He wanted to drop out for that magical creature internship, and when your mum found out she very nearly had his head! Now you two've gone and quit already!"

"Yeah, but Dad--"

"Don't 'Dad' me!" Arthur retorted. "How are you going to explain this? You know how much Mum wanted you to get your N.E.W.Ts!"

"That's the thing," George interjected, much too calmly, "We were hoping you'd help us with that explanation."

_Merlin's pants, _was Arthur's first thought. _That is possibly the worst idea I've ever heard -- and I have heard many from the two of you over the years!_

"Boys," Arthur ran a hand through his hair, trying to appear calm. "You do realise that explaining why you've dropped out will be near impossible. This is Mum we're talking about." _And an angry Molly could strike fear into the heart of You-Know-Who himself._

"Right, but we were hoping you might give us a leg up!" Fred coaxed. "You know, break the news to her gently!"

"If _you_ did it, Mum might even give us a proper burial, instead of just cursing us to bits." George chimed in.

Arthur tried again. "I can't promise you a leg up, boys! This isn't like a prank or a detention; dropping out of school is serious business, especially in your mum's eyes!"

"Dad, we had good reason." Fred said bracingly. "It's not like we decided to swan off; I mean, we knew dropping out wouldn't make us Mum's favorites, honestly."

"Umbridge is awful, Dad." George agreed, "Worse than awful. You should--" he lowered his voice, as if he was suddenly aware that this was a Ministry employee's office, "—have seen what she was doing over there. You'd have left, too."

Fred explained about Umbridge's "Educational Degrees" and the way she'd been conducting her classes. He also muttered something about detentions and quills to George, which prompted a dark look.

"You know," Arthur replied after a moment, "I don't know if I'd have put up with much more, either." He performed a couple of anti-eavesdropping charms before speaking again. "I'm sure you've heard Remus's description of Umbridge. She can be quite nasty. I don't disagree with him on that point."

The twins nodded thoughtfully. "Wish he'd warned us about her earlier." George muttered.

"Yeah, honestly. We could damn well have used it." Fred agreed.

There was a long silence. Arthur remembered the first time he'd met Dolores Umbridge, about ten years ago. She'd been head of Internal Affairs then, and had gripped what little power Fudge gave her like a vice. She'd led Ministry-wide workshops about policy and etiquette, and that was where he'd first been introduced to her. Although he'd done nothing more than shaken hands with the woman, rumors floated around the Ministry about just how awful she was. Even at the workshops, hearing Umbridge deliver sugary yet sharp comments to everyone around her let Arthur believe she'd made the lives of Internal Affairs workers hell during her time there.

Listening to the twins, now (and Arthur was sure they'd left gaps in their stories), he didn't want to think too closely about what Umbridge was doing at Hogwarts, or what, exactly, she'd been "teaching" his children. If he thought on it too much….well, he had a temper at times, too. Best to remember he had a job to keep.

"Dad," Fred broke the silence, a bit of humor returning to his voice, "Aren't you curious to know how we left Hogwarts in the first place?"

Arthur gave him a suspicious look. "Will that answer my question about the chains on your brooms?"

By the time their story had ended, Arthur was nearly doubled over with laughter.

"A p-portable swamp?" he gasped out, astonished at the proportions of their new inventions. "That's brilliant!"

The twins exchanged wicked expressions of glee. "You should have seen the look on her face." Fred chuckled. "It was fantastic."

"And Peeves!" Arthur hooted, removing his glasses to wipe his watering eyes.

"Oh, that was brilliant, too," George snickered. "I'm sure you'll hear stories from Ron and Ginny over summer."

"No doubt of that. And it was a great trick. But look, boys," Arthur had to try and sum this up, somehow; it was what Molly would do if she were here. "I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt here. You're good men, you can make good decisions--" at Fred's look of repulsion he added an 'occasionally' – "and you knew exactly what you were getting into by dropping out."

"Right," George added, "And it's not like we'll be sitting on our arses doing nothing. We'll have the shop, and even our own place. We've got everything we need, but--"

"We just have to start, really," Fred finished. "You'll have to come and see it sometime, Dad. It's going to be bloody brilliant."

"You know I will, Fred." Arthur agreed, clapping his son on the back. "But you'll still have to break the news to Mum before then." His apologetic grin stretched from ear to ear. "Stand up for your actions."

Fred rolled his eyes. "Right, that's definitely why we'll face Mum alone. You want us to increase our personal growth and maturity."

Arthur grinned. "I also like having the proper use of my limbs."

The twins laughed. George spoke first: "Right, well, we'll just take this lot" – he indicated the brooms and their trunks – "over to the new flat before popping by to see Mum."

"We'll see you at dinner, though!"

"If Mum lets us eat, that is…"

As the twins left his office, bantering as if nothing unusual had happened, Arthur felt a stirring of pride. _My boys, the businessmen! _He'd have to bring this story up at the next Order meeting, just for fun; Sirius in particular would get a great laugh out of it.

Even as he picked up the first piece of paperwork, Arthur smiled and tried to imagine everyone's reactions. They'd never believe it in a million years.


	2. Relief

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,

It is my supreme regret to inform you of the horrible misdeeds committed by your sons (Frederick Gideon and George Fabian Weasley) this afternoon at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Not only did they disrupt precious class time by setting off their creation in the hallways, they deliberately flouted my authority in front of the assembled students! As their crimes are too numerous to detail in this letter, I have attached a full and separate list of their reprehensible behavior, which will also be placed into their permanent records. Rest assured that had your children not chosen to discontinue their education, this matter would have been swiftly and justifiably attended to, at my personal discretion. Thank you for your time and cooperation.

Sincerely,

Dolores Jane Umbridge

Headmistress of Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry

Molly Weasley had never been more stunned. She wasn't sure what surprised her more: that the twins, who'd always kidded about hating school but never seemed to mean it, had dropped out before taking their N.E.W.Ts, or that this outrageous letter had been penned in magenta ink. C_rimes, indeed, _she huffed to herself. _They're just silly pranks; my boys aren't capable of actual crimes! _

Sitting at the kitchen table in the Burrow, Molly tried to let this news sink in. _But_ w_hat in the world could have possessed them? Those two know how much NEWT scores mean to future employers!_ The part of Molly that always bragged about Bill's twelve and Percy's ten O.W.L.'s, and demanded similar results from her other children, wanted to kill the twins for being so reckless.

Another, more accepting, part of her understood how this could have happened. According to Remus, Dolores Umbridge was a nasty piece of work, and the twins were never very good at controlling their tempers. If the rumors she'd heard in Order meetings were even close to being true, the woman was very vile and very dangerous indeed.

This new thought only made her worry more about her younger children – what would life be like for Ron and Ginny now that their brothers had openly defied Umbridge? Would they be subject to more severe punishment because of the twins' behavior? She wouldn't stand for that, and neither should the other teachers! She would have to talk to Minerva, and soon.

Trying not to let her temper flare up at the idea of undue punishment, _and that's all it is, _she soothed her anxious mind,_ an idea, _Molly glanced down again at the table. By Umbridge's cold, simpering note – _really, was a pink envelope ever necessary? _– lay a plain, unopened letter that had arrived moments before the first, and through the Floo, of all places. Between trying to complete her daily work and the sudden arrival of Umbridge's letter, she'd completely forgotten about the smaller note.

Turning the letter over, she recognized Minerva's handwriting. Though her grip on the envelope was gentle, the letter trembled with hidden magic. _A letter from the Order! Encoded, too; it must be important. _Although she wasn't sure why Order letters were suddenly being directed to the Burrow, and not Grimmauld Place, Molly decided to open it anyway; she and Arthur could at least burn it and discuss its contents with the Order at a later time.

With a flick of her wand, she disabled the protective spells easily, leaving nothing but faint traces of magic on the parchment. The letter read:

_Molly and Arthur,_

_I apologize for the letter you are about to receive from our most illustrious Headmistress._ _No doubt she will have convinced you that your sons have committed the most heinous of crimes. In reality, they simply continued to show off their latest in a series of elaborate pranks. Today's mischief involved the creation of a portable swamp._

Molly laughed delightedly; she could practically hear the professor's crisp voice within the scrawl of her words. Minerva always got rather eloquent when she was angry or irritated. She kept reading:

_Suffice it to say that after Umbridge and Filch were unable to remove the muck from the corridor of Barnabas the Barmy, the twins were publicly questioned about the incident, in front of a large number of students. After threatening punishment, Umbridge asked them what they had to say. The gist of their reply was, and I quote: "I think we've outgrown full-time education." Afterwards, they Summoned their brooms from Umbridge's office, mounted them and whisked away into the distance._

She had certainly never heard anything about a portable swamp before. Though, Molly thought with a bit of motherly pride, she'd seen howthe twins could get creative when it came to their inventions; she _knew_ how bright they could be if they just applied themselves! But why had the twins' brooms been in Umbridge's office?

And why on earth did this letter need to be encoded in the first place? Was Umbridge really being that vicious about what went through the post? Molly still had more to read, however, so perhaps the twins' mischief was only a cover for the real letter:

_I realize you will be dealing with this matter very soon, and hope that you will keep my advice in mind when discussing this incident with the boys. _

The upcoming part of the letter had strong traces of protective wards. This was where the real message lay. Molly read on, more than a little curious; wondering what needed so badly to be concealed:

_It really was a brilliant bit of magic. You and Arthur should be proud. _

—_M—_

Pocketing Minerva's letter and vowing to keep it forever, Molly laughed and laughed until tears came to her eyes. If the stoic, unflappable Minerva McGonagall held Fred and George's prank in this kind of esteem, it had to be a great bit of magic indeed. _She'd actually used the word brilliant. _Molly grinned.

Although it wasn't twelve O.W.L.s or five N.E.W.Ts, she couldn't help but be proud of the twins. Fred and George, for all their mischief, had good hearts. They always knew when to back down and when to toe the line. Molly was willing to credit that their reasons for leaving school had to be reasoned and well-thought, considering that they were ready to risk Umbridge's wrath (_and her own!_) in order to leave.

Hearing the telltale cracks of Apparition in the yard, she braced herself for a serious discussion. There was a lesson in all of this, somewhere, but Molly resolved that she would try to be a little lenient with the twins, just this once. In times like these, especially now that more Death Eaters were on the loose, it was important not to stress over little things.

Fred was first inside the door, looking like he was about to face a firing squad. Molly couldn't blame him for looking scared; if past words were anything to go by, they would not be looking forward to this talk. Before his seventh year, Charlie had wanted to drop out of Hogwarts to take a magi-zoology internship in Romania, but Molly had thrown an absolute fit and refused to let him. Specifically, she'd threatened death and dismemberment to any Weasley who dropped out before taking their N.E.W.Ts. She'd yelled for a solid five minutes; poor Charlie had never stood a chance. Though the twins were fairly young at the time, there was no way they could have forgotten that argument. Molly sighed loudly. _So how would she now explain her leniency?_

"Mum?" George was next, sticking his head around the open door and creeping in as if he were a lost Kneazle kitten.

"Oh, George! Fred!" The words of both letters flashed through her mind as Molly rushed over to her sons, embracing them in a bear hug. "I can't believe it – the letter just arrived -- I'm just glad you're all right!"

"Bloody hell, Mum," Fred burst out, shocked, "Why aren't you furious? You're sure you're not a Death Eater in disguise? Should we be asking you a security question?"

"Oh, don't be silly, Fred! And watch that language!" Molly chided, releasing them. "Can't a mother be allowed to hug her sons once in awhile?"

"We thought you were going to murder us!" George crowed, beginning to look a little more confident. "This is a relief, innit, Fred?"

"No joke!" Fred chimed in, sitting down at the table and running a hand through his hair. "We kept remembering how you chewed out Charlie when he didn't want to go back for N.E.W.Ts, but, blimey, this is a piece of cake in comparison! We could have left sooner if we'd known you'd let us off the hook!"

"But then we wouldn't have gotten to test the swamp," George argued, taking a seat across from his twin. "Though I am surprised at you, Mum; I always thought you couldn't resist a good bit of yelling."

Despite wanting to keep her earlier promise of leniency, Molly did want to yell now, just a little. After all, the boys had to learn the consequences of their actions. If Fred and George were planning to be full-fledged businessmen, even businessmen in a joke shop, they had to understand the value of responsibility and commitment. Even if she had to present her lesson in a fit of temper, something good would at least be gained.

"Well, Mum," Fred looked inquisitively at her. "What d'you have to say?"

Molly took a deep breath. This had to be good.

"JUST WHAT, EXACTLY, WERE YOU TWO THINKING?!?!"


End file.
